Commercial

Q: How do I buy from Avidicare?A: Please contact any of our Sales Directors or our CEO. You find their contact details here. We are also collaborating with local partners in our key markets that will work with you and ensure that everything meets your needs over the full lifetime of your operating room.

Q: Can you give me your corporate and bank information?A: Sure, Avidicare AB’s registration number is 556823-9585 and VAT is SE556823958501.

Avidicare AB’s bank details:

Bank: SEB

Bankgiro: 694-6339

IBAN: SE 4350 0000 0005 9971 0050 26

BIC: ESSESESS

User Experience

Q: How can the Opragon be so silent? I can barely hear it!A: The Opragon uses temperature to drive the removal of bacteria instead of high-speed air. This means that we do not create the noise otherwise so common in operating rooms. And just think how much easier it is to concentrate on the job when it is quiet – this means patient safety!

Q: I cannot hear the Opragon. How do I know that it is working?A: Walk beneath the Opragon and hold a bare hand in front of you. You will notice a slight chill on the top of your hand. (Or check the digital operator panel, if you have one of those.)

Q: I know that Avidicare maintains less than 10 cfu/m³ in all of the OR. Does that mean that we can put the operating table anywhere in the OR?A: No, the operating table shall be put directly underneath the main Opragon. The benefit of having ultra-clean air in all of the OR is the flexibility of having the instrument table where it is best needed.

Q: Why is it that I do not feel a chilling effect from the Opragon?A: We have designed the system to ensure that the falling air can overcome the heat generated by the team (their body heat convection) and equipment. The result is an air speed of only about 0.3 m/s next to the team/patient, which hardly is felt at all.

Q: Isn’t it cold to work under an Opragon?A: The temperature is set based on the needs of the patient. In most cases, the room temperature is set to 18-24°C. However, in order to operate on small children, we have designed systems that function well above 28°C. It can also work in low temperatures.

Q: Are there two different temperature zones in ORs using Opragon?A: Yes. The air falling down beneath the central Opragon is about 1.5-2°C cooler than the room temperature. It means that the physically more active surgical team works in a slightly cooler central area. Outside this area, the anaesthesiology and other teams work in a slightly warmer area.

Technology

Q: How can your system handle large heat loads in the OR?A: With more than 120 installations in place, we know that both current and exceptional heat loads are handled extremely well. Thousands of measurements of bacteria during live operations confirm cfu levels around the wound of 0-3 cfu/m³, while the rest of the room remains below 10 cfu/m³. For special installations, such as hybrid rooms it is important to design the system such that the necessary cooling capacity is in place. This was not done during a Swedish simulated test, which erroneously led to a fear that Opragon was not suitable for this kind of installations. We and many customers know from real world measurements that this is not true. Just make sure to design the system the right way.

Q: Will heat loads increase in future ORs?A: Possibly, it could to some extent increase since more and more instruments are brought into the OR. At the same time, technology becomes more and more efficient, which in many cases cancel this trend. Just look at old X-rays and compare with new ones. Or look at the OR lamps that now use super-efficient LEDs instead of “light bulb” technology.

Q: Why is the air from the Opragon slightly cooler than the surrounding air?A: Opragon uses the fact that cold air is heavier than warm and falls to the ground. This falling air is very effective at sweeping all bacteria down to the floor. It behaves almost as a fluid. This means that obstacles such as people, lamps and pendants are less of a problem for the removal of the bacteria.

Installation

Q: Can I perform surgery anywhere in the OR?A: No, although the Opragon system keeps the entire OR at ultra-low levels of CFU this is dependent on the fact that most of the staff is working below the central Opragon and fewer are moving in the periphery.

Q: How much space does the system need above the false/inner ceiling?A: Installations have been done in less than 30 cm but this is not recommended. 40 cm and upwards is usually not a problem.

Q: Can you help me do a quick check to see if an Opragon could fit in my OR?A: Yes, we offer design support for free. Just contact our Development and Support Manager here.

Maintenance

Q: How often do the HEPA-filters need to be changed?A: Usually every 5-7 years.

Q: We got stains on an airshower, how do we clean it?A: Airshowers are usually not cleaned, but they are as easy to change as a light bulb. Just bring a small ladder, climb it, twist the airshower (bayonet type), remove it, twist on a fresh one and you are ready. The Opragon is built with easy maintenance in mind – since the easier it is the more certain that it will be done. A main benefit is that you do not have to close the OR during this time – so your up-time increases compared to other systems that mandate long closing times for their maintenance.

Q: We have a problem with increasing infection rates. Can you measure it for us?A: Yes, we have specialist equipment and expertise for measuring operating rooms, both for bacteria and particles. Please contact our Development and Support Manager here.

Q: Why is the HEPA filter placed next to the air handling unit and not close to the airshowers?A: Our philosophy is to do everything as easy to maintain as possible. This choice makes inspections as well as exchanges easy and safe. The HEPA filtered air may travel several meters before being released into the OR and inspections of those ducts after seven years of use still show no bacterial growth or other contaminations. Should your hospital require that the HEPA filters are placed very close to the airshowers, custom designs are possible.